H O M E ≠ H•O•M•E

Project Overview

H O M E ≠ H•O•M•E is an automated fictional living room installation exploring the fine line between loneliness and solitude. Drawing from the Zen Buddhist idea of "be a home for yourself," the work invites viewers to engage with how solitude and loneliness emerge and shift through space, sound, and automation.

The installation integrates Wan-Yi’s experience as a latchkey child from the age of six with spatial elements drawn from contemplative architecture, creating shifting states that invite viewers to move through the space and reflect on home, belonging, and inner connection.

The title itself encapsulates this dynamic: the expansive "H O M E" versus the fragmented "H•O•M•E." Both solitude and loneliness arise from being alone, yet their experiences differ depending on how we relate to that aloneness. The "partially finished" interior mirrors these emotional gaps—solitude invites contemplation, while loneliness amplifies absence.

The spatial design incorporates geometry, verticality, and horizontal planes to create a sense of grounding and presence. Just as Zen Buddhism uses the breath to return attention to the body, these elements anchor the viewer, shaping an embodied experience. Rather than merely defining space, they transform it into a site for contemplation.

Personal Context (Wan-Yi)

Growing up as a latchkey child, I spent most of my childhood alone. It took many years—and many tears—to learn to transform loneliness into solitude. For me, the difference between the two was night and day. Loneliness ate my sense of self, while solitude, once I found it, became a quiet strength. Having lived both, I became deeply curious about the fine line that separates them—and how, if we can recognize it and choose to cross, something inside us can begin to shift.

Installation Experience

The “partially finished” environment invites viewers to confront emotional gaps—emptiness in loneliness, depth in solitude. The installation unfolds in two looping atmospheres.

In the first, a narrative emerges: a child returns home alone and eats alone, accompanied by a commissioned instrumental interpretation of a well-known Taiwanese folk song, performed on double bass. The song, written during World War II, expresses the longing of families separated by conflict. The deep, resonant tones of the double bass underscore the emotional weight of loneliness. A chandelier slowly rotates across the empty room—its movement requiring open space—symbolizing the vast emptiness that once surrounded the child.

In the second atmosphere, the narrative ceases. What remains is a space that invites embodied experience—an open field shaped by spatial encounter and imagination, where contemplation and inner connection become possible.

Each component of the fictional living room holds an emotional imprint from Wan-Yi’s childhood home. The “partially finished” design invites the viewer to complete the space with their own projections, memories, and inner dialogues.

By combining automated movement with spatial design and narrative, the installation reimagines "home" as a psychological state rather than a fixed place. H O M E ≠ H•O•M•E is a meditation on how solitude and loneliness can emerge and shift within the same space, shaped by where our attention comes to rest.

Installation Framework and Credits follow below.

Please note that wall elements are customized according to each space. Some photos below show different iterations, reflecting their potential spatial fluidity.